Inspect subtle dark-tone separation and shadow transition behavior just above reference black. Low-luminance dark steps help identify black crush, elevated black floors, or panel vertical banding without claiming laboratory photometric guarantees.
Darken room lighting. Observe where subtle dark patches separate from the pitch-black surrounding field.
Web browsers can output mathematically accurate sRGB dark code values (such as RGB 1, 2, 3), but cannot measure the physical luminance (nits) or black level output by your display panel. Inability to discern steps below 1% or 2% is normal in ambient room light or on displays without professional gamma calibration. Do not assume your panel is defective based on visual inspection alone.
